Pontoon boats are the choice of a large portion of the boating community mainly because of their excellent stability and safety. However, a drawback of these boats is there inability to travel at speeds comparable to those of other types of pleasure watercrafts. The intrinsic low speed of pontoon boats is due largely to the circular-cylindrical shape of the pontoons themselves. Low speed precludes pontoon boats from participating in any type of speed activity such as, for example, water-skiing. Further, the lack of speed of pontoon boats can expose them, and their occupants, to severe weather conditions when the boat finds itself at a distance from its dock and the weather rapidly changes for the worse.
Another problem with existing pontoon boats is that they are prone to being pushed sideways when navigating in cross winds, which makes the boats in question harder to maneuver. Additionally, they tend to bounce on the water when traveling in choppy water conditions.
Efforts have been made in the past to improve the planing ability of pontoon boats. For example, pontoons with lift pads fitted to the bottom, symmetrically about a keel or bottom region, are known. However, the symmetrical shape of these pontoons still makes the pontoon boats prone to crosswinds and can make for a very choppy ride when turning the boat. This is because the lifts pads on the pontoon that is on the inside of the turn tend to catch the water surface sporadically.
Therefore, it is desirable to provide pontoons that allow pontoon boats to travel at increased speeds and that provide improved maneuverability of the watercrafts.